"Yipp-i, yipp-a, yippi-o!" THE ADVENTURES OF SPIN AND MARTY was an overwhelmingly popular series within THE MICKEY MOUSE CLUB. Featured here is the entire first season (1955) about freckle-faced Spin and wealthy city kid M... more &raquoarty at the Triple R Ranch summer camp. Adding to the fun are exclusive interviews with the original cast members and a special tour of the original filming site. And, presented for the first time ever, is Tim Considine's screen test for the role of Marty -- the character he persuaded the producers not to cast him in. So saddle up and enjoy all the stories -- the ones you know and the ones you don't.&laquo less

Movie Reviews

Enjoyable for any generation

Jerry Edwards | Vancouver, WA United States | 08/21/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Adventures of Spin and Marty was a 25 episode serial shown 1955-1956 during the first season of the Mickey Mouse Club. Spin Evans is the most popular boy at the boys' summer ranch, The Triple R - where boys gain actual experience on a working ranch, including learning to ride horses. Spin returns to camp after attending the previous year. Marty Markham is a rich, spoiled kid who is new to the camp. He doesn't want to be at the camp and doesn't want to play and work with the other boys. He starts off on the wrong foot with the other boys by calling the ranch a "dirty old farm". Marty is actually poor in many ways, and is very lonely because he just doesn't know how to act with other kids. Marty eventually learns not to be so spoiled and makes friends with several of the boys before the summer is over.

The 25 episodes end up about 4 1/2 hours, with another 1/2 hour for the Mickey Mouse Club show that contains the introduction to the serial.

Even though set in the 1950s, the series is timeless due to the setting of the boys' ranch. The shows deal with universal themes of friendship, understanding others, teamwork, and just getting along with others. There are numerous fun scenes throughout the series, with a very satisfactory ending to the series. This serial had two sequels: Further Adventures Of Spin And Marty (1956-1957 season) and The New Adventures Of Spin And Marty (1957-1958 season). Possibly these serials will be released in future Walt Disney Treasures within a few years.

Bonus features announced as being on this set are:

The complete episode of the Mickey Mouse Club that first introduced the series.

Tim Considine's (Spin) original screen test.

"Return To The Triple R" - Tim Considine (Spin) and David Stollery (Marty) give an exclusive interview and tour the location that was the original "Triple R Ranch" filming site.

"Back In The Saddle With Harry Carey Jr." where he reminisces with Leonard Maltin. Harry Carey Jr. was Bill Burnett, the foreman of the ranch in the serial.

A gallery of still frame images from the series.

I have owned this serial since it was shown in the 1980s on the Disney Channel showings of the Mickey Mouse Club. I have enjoyed it for years, either watching the whole series in one sitting or just watching one or two episodes at a time. I think the DVD would work out fine however you choose to watch it.

The acting, direction, and overall story are high quality. I enjoy the serial because I remember it from the original Mickey Mouse Club and from the Disney Channel showings. I believe this DVD set would interest most people, no matter how old they are."

"Way Up There on the Triple R"

Mark Baker | Santa Clarita, CA United States | 03/08/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was born too late to watch the Mickey Mouse Club on TV and I never caught the reruns. Even so, as a life long Disney fanatic, I have heard lots of things about "The Adventures of Spin and Marty." Naturally, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this set and watch it. I immediately found the appeal of the serial.

Originally airing as part of the Mickey Mouse Club in 1955, this two-disc set contains twenty-five eleven minutes episodes about the adventures of a group of pre-teen boys spending a summer at the Triple R dude ranch.

Spin Evans is returning for his second year. He's got lots of horse knowledge and is quite popular.

On the other hand, Marty Markham is new to the ranch this year. He's a spoiled kid overly sheltered by his grandmother. In fact, their butler, Perkins, spends the summer at the ranch to keep an eye on him. Marty has a fascination with horses, yet is terrified of them. He tries anything he can to get the other boys to like him, causing rifts at the ranch, especially with Spin. Will he ever learn to get along with guys his own age?

Meanwhile, the guys will have lots of adventures, including a snipe hunt, an encounter with a bear, and an overnight camping trip to a haunted mine. As if that weren't enough, at the end of the summer, the ranch will compete in a rodeo with another ranch. Will this be the year the Triple R finally wins?

Starting this set, I wasn't sure what to expect. I got quickly hooked on the story, however. While it takes it time developing, it is charming from the start. You can't help but root for Spin, Marty, and the other guys. The great writing and acting help. These may be kids on a low budget show, but they do an impressive job with the material. The few special effects are poor by today's standards, but they fit with the charm of the show. The story takes the time to let us get to know the characters so we care about what happens to them at the various points along the way.

As previously mentioned, there are 25 episodes in this two-disc set. These cover the first season. After the serial proved to be popular, the cast came back twice more over the next two years. Hopefully those adventures will be released soon. The episodes are presented in their original black and white. Somehow, anything else would just feel wrong to me. While the occasional dust or grain betrays the shows age, the show is remarkably well preserved and very clear. Extras include introductions from Leonard Maltin on both discs, the complete Mickey Mouse Club episode that first introduced the characters (it spoils much of the series, so I recommend watching it last), Tim Considine's screen test as Marty (he actually played Spin), photo galleries, interviews with stars Tim Considine and David Stollery as they tour the area where the series was filmed, and an interview with Harry Carey, Jr., who played counselor Bill Burnett in the series.

This show, with its low-key action and slow story telling, would never make it on TV today. But this set gives us a chance to enjoy a truly wonderful piece of television history. Those who grew up watching the show will love the trip down memory lane. Anyone willing to give this gem a chance will find it just as charming now as it was fifty years ago."

The Truth About What Is On The Adventures of Spin and Marty

Mark Baker | 08/28/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The TV shows on The Adventures of Spin and Marty will be The Triple R (November,7,1955), The Misfit (November,8,1955), The White Stallion (November,9,1955), Froggy Day (November,10,1955), The Battle (November,11,1955), A Surprise Decision (November,14,1955), Homesick (November,15,1955), Logan's Lesson (November,16,1955),The Chase (November,17,1955), Ride 'Em Cowboy (November,18,1955) The Snipe Hunt (November,21,1955),The Secret Ride (November,22,1955), Tragedy (November,23,1955),Perkins' Decision (November,24,1955), Tossing the Calf (November,25,1955), Rope Artist(November,28,1955), Nothing Happens on A Sunday (November,29,1955), Perkins and the Bear (November,30,1955), The Runaway (December,1,1955), Haunted Valley (December,2,1955),The Live Ghost (December,5,1955), The Big Rodeo (December,6,1955), Off on the Wrong Foot (December,7,1955), Sky Rocket's Trick (December,8,1955) and The Last Campfire (December,9,1955). The bonus features are the Mickey Mouse Club episode that started the series, Return to Triple R - a review with Tim Considine and David Stollery, Triple Ranch filming site, Back In The Saddle With Harry Carey Jr - an interview with Harry Carey Jr and Leonard Maltin and some galleries."

Wished it was better

Bennet Pomerantz | Seabrook, Maryland | 12/26/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"If we are paying for a Disney Treasure ...Act like a treasure.

I loved Disney's Spin and Marty when I was younger when it was on the classic Mickey Mouse Show. I used to run home to watch the club and it's serials like S & M, Annette, Hardy Boys, etc. So I bought this DVD set pre book.

The good news is the 25 episodes of the first year of Spin & Marty are all here in their glory. The black and white masters are CLEAN and like they were watching them as if they were new.The soundtrack is clear as a bell, digital remastering at its finest. A highlight of the DVD extra is the special Mickey Mouse Club that introduced that show from 1955.

Now to the BAD news... The extras are so limited. The Harry Carey interview ssem to be taken from an interview host Leonard Malin used on John Wayne's Island in the Sky. The current interview with Spin and Marty (Tim Considine and David Stollery) seems an afterthought. Also the episodes used to have a tale (a closer), when a voice would say "tommorrow episode is...", Those seem to be cut off from the episodes in this collection

There are NO advance trailers (other than the MMC espisode intro), Reprint comics, TV ads, Disneyanna from other shows, special audio tracks like the vault Disney collections have had (like an audio story), maybe a copy The TV remake of Spin and Marty from a few years ago or any of those extras like audio comments over an episode from someone in the cast. So Disney company, where are they?

This golden collection is slight tarnished. It is worth it for a new generation to see classic Spin and Marty. Lets do better when Disney releases Season two. Bennet Pomerantz, AUDIOWORLD"

The First Season Was Great

Only-A-Child | 07/04/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

""The Adventures of Spin and Marty" title refers to the first season (1955-56) of the show; the second and third seasons were given a modified title. When originally broadcast the total running time of 275 minutes was broken into 25 episodes and shown as part of the first year "Mickey Mouse Club". The show was broadcast Monday-Friday from 5Pm-6PM. The serials were structured in a mild cliffhanger format with a teaser at the end enticing viewers to watch the next episode for a resolution. When they were shown a few years ago on "Vault Disney" the episodes were paired up to provide a 22-23 minute running time.

If you grew up with the original MMC you already know that serials like this were the most anticipated part of the show and that "Spin and Marty" was by far the most popular. The reason for their popularity was no mystery, they were the only kid's shows in those days that featured kids instead of puppets or animation.

If you were not around for the "Spin and Marty" phenomenon, think of it as a 1950's version of "The Saddle Club", both featured kids getting to spend all their time with horses. But instead of girls hanging out at the Pine Hollow stables, here it's boys living in bunk houses at "The Triple R", a dude ranch summer camp. And who wouldn't like spending an entire summer at a ranch, riding horses far away from parental supervision?

The first season's story was adapted from the novel "Marty Markham" by Lawrence Watkin. The show went rapidly downhill after the first season so it is no great tragedy that only season one is out on DVD. Mostly this was because the writers were never able to duplicate the charm of the first season's premise. But the show also fell victim to the Kevin Corcoran curse. Corcoran was a terminally precocious little actor that Disney tried to make a star by inserting him into this popular show at the start of the second season. Corcoran was an unbearably bad actor and the damage was compounded by Disney's insistence on manipulative showcasing of his terminal cuteness; an especially bad fit for a show whose first season appeal had been its naturalness and the understated performances of the cast.

Like "Saddle Club's" first season, it revolves around a new kid who has difficulty fitting in at the ranch. Marty Markham (David Stollery) is an overprotected orphaned rich kid who arrives in his grandmother's chauffeured limousine with his own butler (Perkins-J. Pat O'Malley-who is detailed to help the ranch's cook) and immediately manages to offend all the boys by calling the Triple-R Ranch "a smelly old farm".

A rivalry soon develops with Spin Evans (Tim Considine), a popular boy who has to work all year to pay the attendance costs. Marty is afraid of horses but lies about being a polo player. Considine and Stollery are both convincing although Stollery has the more difficult part. The supporting cast of boys have appropriate nicknames; the lazy "Ambitious", the freckled "Speckle" and the chunky "Russell the Muscle".

Special effects are a bit weak (like the woodchuck chase scene where you have to accept that a ball of fur pulled though the field on a string is a woodchuck) and the campfire scenes are obvious day for night shooting.

Harry Carey Jr. and Roy Barcroft provide sympathetic and concerned authority figures but my favorite is insightful horse trainer Ollie (Leonard Geer) who always seemed to have about nine days worth of stubble and repeatedly said: "Well I'll be a blue-nosed gopher".

Predictably Marty learns to love horses and to get along with the other boys. He breaks his arm but Perkins is able to keep the news from his grandmother so that he is not sent home early. There are all the great summer camp elements from bears to ghost stories.

The two-disc DVD set has a photo gallery, interviews, and a little feature called "The Return to the Triple-R"; which includes the adult Considine and Stollery visiting the ranch where most of the show was filmed.